Exploring The Crazy Animal Kingdom

Posted by admin on January 9th, 2014

The animal kingdom is full of bizarre creatures and their bizarre habits. Not all animals stories end like the cute and cuddly animals in the fairy tales some are unsightly, unbelievable or simply strange. Recently Yahoo News came out with a list of ten strange animal stories.

Here is are the ten crazy animal stories from the wild

1. Waterfall climbing fish

No it doesn’t have feet or hooves or even claws, The Nopoli rock-climbing goby (Sicyopterus stimpsoni), is a fish that climbs rocks against the running water of waterfalls 300 feet (100 meters) tall. It is found in most parts of Hawaii, and it does so by using an ancillary mouth sucker. The muscles the goby uses to climb are the same ones it uses to feed.

2. Mermaid’s purses

While most sharks give live birth to their young ones, the bamboo shark lays egg cases called mermaid’s purses in the water. These egg cases look nothing like the traditional oval egg and rather have a very strange shape. Unlike most fetuses in eggs that are defenseless the fetuses of bamboo shark freezes when a predator is nearby, as it can detect its electrical field. This makes it invisible to the predator.

3. Tadpoles with eyes on their tails

In February 2013, scientists performed a research wherein they surgically grafted eyeballs into the odd tails and then removed the tadpoles’ original eyes. These 134 tadpoles with eyes on their tails and torsos instead of on their heads were called franken-tadpoles. The results could be used to treat blindness by proving how the nervous system adapts as these tadpoles with eyes on their tails could actually see.

4. Bat-eating spiders

In a wildlife research conducted in March 2013 the scientists revealed that there exists a certain kind of species of spiders that hunt bats. These spiders are known to exist on every continent except Antarctica. spider species Argiope savignyi and tarantulas species (Poecilotheria rufilata) are already known for their bat-eating qualities. This made the scientists curious enough to find out how many more such spiders are out there. They studied through 100 years of scientific reports and observations and found 52 instances worldwide.

5. A two-headed shark fetus

A conjoined twin is no more an alien phenomenon, but a shark! Well that’s quite an unheard story. March 2013 continues to be the month of strange discoveries as researchers reported a pregnant bull shark was caught off the Florida Keys for observation. The uterus of the bull shark showed fetuses that had two heads. The embryo’s failed attempted to split into twins resulted into this.

6. Monkey eaten by snake caught on camera

The most fearful snake of all boa constrictor was filmed gorging on a howler monkey. Snakes have previously known to have attacked other herbivorous animals or even human children. But it is not likely for a snake to attack primate as they mostly are in big groups and on up tress away from easy access. Researchers concluded that in this particular case, the monkey must have wandered too far from its group and failed to see the boa.

7. Butterflies feast on turtles’ tears

The amount of rainfall in Amazon rainforest constantly depletes its soil and atmosphere from necessary salts. Hence the butterflies in the western Amazon rainforest assemble on yellow-spotted river turtles to drink their tears. The butterflies politely suck the minerals and salt rich turtle tears, temporarily obstructing the turtles’ vision.

8. Predator mimics flower

Much like its name the orchid mantis resembles the flower. This helps it lure other insects and bees into its trap. Usually insects mimic being a flower to deceive predators but orchid mantis is the only predator mimicking a flower to attract prey.

9. Winter is the favorite season for these cockroaches

A species of cockroaches that love the cold weather are fast colonizing in New York.

The roach (Periplaneta japonica) is assumed to have landed in America through the imports of ornamental plants from Asia used in the landscaping of High Line Park.

10. Alligators and crocodiles use tools

Alligators and crocodiles have apparently been using tools for to enhance their hunting skills. They are known to decorate their bodies with small sticks and twigs. This lures birds who are looking for material to build a nest. These ruthless reptiles snap their jaws and hunt these birds as they get in close proximity.

So there goes your list of strange animals and their strange behaviors. We are sure you can find a few weird creatures right here at your very own Khao Kheow Open Zoo. So when are you making your journey to the jungle and spot some crazy animals?